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Dublin News-Letter (Newspaper) - January 24, 1840, Dublin, Dublin
Vol. V. _ RICHARD R E 1L L T. Numb. 43,5 The Dublin Newsletter, if " From Saturday January the 24th, to Tuesday January the 27th, 1740. Thtre being three Packe s due, we hope the foKowing SPEECHES of J-n W-Lj Efq; and Sir R--t W-r, upon 3 Motion of laying before the Houfe, the Copies of Letters sftd rtiftructions fent to Mr. Keene, to conclude a Convention with the King of Spjio, will be agreeable to our Readers. The Speech of J-n W- Efq; SIR. XNOthing fliall difcourage or deter me from doing my Duty while I fit- here, whatever may be my Prtfpect of Succefs. The lafl* wasaQueflion which I little thought to have feen rejected in an Englifh Houfe of Commons, and theiefore 1 (hall be the lefs furprized, if the Motion I am now to nake fhou'd meet with the fame Fate. I have, Sir, with all the Impartiality and Attention I am capable of, examined the Progrefs of our Differences with Swiii fince their firft Rife ; but after the drifted Enquiry, I find myfelf quite at a Lofs to account for many ftrps of the G&nduct. of our Miniiters both here and abroad, but for none feouchas figfting trie Contention. Had that Treaty, Sir, il it deferves the Name, fti'l exifled, had not the Conduct of his Majefty, by entering into this juft and neceffiry War, had not the Declaration of War itfelf condemned it as injurious and difhonourable to Great Britain, I fhculd perhaps have been more referved than Ifindmyfelf at prefentdifpoftd to be, when j mention a flep that once had an Appearance of Approbation from both Houfes of Parliament. Gentlemen, nodouit, remember the Reafons upon which that Treaty was oppofed when it was laid before the Houfe. It was apparent, that irfubjeded, to theDifeuffion of Pleni-potedthries, the plain and undoubted Rights of this Nation, which we ought never to have mffered to be brough: into Difpute. It gave up at once the Right which our Merchants had of Reftimtion for their Lbfles, and Reparation for their Injuries. It endangered a Poffeflion annexed to the Crown of Great Britain, which the Honour of the Senate was engaged to maintain; and our Minifter, in accepting it, con-fen ted. that one of the chief Advantages we receiv'd by a folemnTieary, after a long and glorious War, fhould be fet afide. Thefe are Facts that -were all of them then infilled upon, and every Argument againft the Convention has been fince verified by the Event. Bat, Sir, give me Leave to fay, that tbo' no Oppofirion had been made in this Houfe, tho* no Endeavours had been made in any Place to have epeny the-Eyes of the Nation, the'Conduct of the Miniftry Jtftflf toofthaVedone-ir. The Convention, Sir, muft have been broken, and a War mufl hive been enter d into, tho' every Member Of the Houfe had approved it, unlefs they had relolved to have furfenttered tamely to the Court of Spiln the molt valuable Rights of the Nation. But the Convention, -Sir, for Reafons beft known to the Majority, wasatJcaftoor disapproved of, and the Negotiations, imrire diatery after the Time appointed, went forward. It is, Sir, upon our Conduct fince thefe Conferences betwixt the Plenipotentiaries Of the two Crowns were open'd, that'l have foarded the Motion I have to make. We were mid, Sir, I believe from retty good Authority, that as foon a�thefe Conferences open'd, our Minifter prefented a Declaration ro me ISpanim Secretary, infilling, not only that the Engagements which the Court of Spain had entered into by the Convention fhould be fulfilled, but requiring die immediate Payment of 950001. a previous Renunciation of all the Claim which the" Spanhrds pretend to have to fearch our Ships in the American Seas, and an Acknowledgment of otfrRight to Georgia and Carolina. All this, Sir, I think, watstery worthy of a Minifter from this Court. Hereupon the'Conferences were broke up, and an Order for Reprisals was publifhcd here, declaring, * That his Ma. jsfly, having taken the injurious Proceedings of the Crown of Spam, in not paying'the 95,000!. and in faffering its Subjects to commit 'Deprecations, into his ferious Confidtr-atton, betherefore permitted Letters of Reprifel to be grn -eAtofadh Merchants as mould require them.' Two or three, Months after, a Declaration of War is published, in which, betides an Enumeration of the fcv�rral Injuries we had fuf-�irfd from -Spain, we are pcfitrvely told, * that the Evils have been principally oceafioned by an unwarrantable Clatm and Pfetenfi6ri; feeup on the Part of Spain, that ths Guarda Codas, and other Ships autboriz'd by toe King of Spun, nay -flop, detain, and fearch the Ships and Veff-ls-ot our S�bjecte>navfg*tlrtg m the American S-*as, contrary to the lAefty of Navigation, to which our Subjffts have not only *n equal Right with thofe of Spun, by the Law of. Nations, Jwiwkioh is njdreovcrexpreflyacknowleg'd and declared to kHgto ttieTn-bytbelblem^ and particularly by tjai^nelhdeti in the z3d Year dFCharles II. in'd whereas weft/d groattdfefi Claim and Preteaiion, and tnc unjuft *A Morion'was made, tharan Addrefibeprefented to'his Wajeily, that he -would be gracttnifly-pleafed to give Diree-JOiw that tfieTte: be laid bafore them Copies or Extract* of all Wtters written, and Inftmclrons given by the Secretaries ofi or Commiffioners for executing the Office of Lord" "^^dnwtftjf Great-Britain, to any Commanders in .Chief T M.#fty'4;$htps bf War, or his SiajeftyV Minuter in; �P^i� or his Coofuis in Europe, from the T/eaty. of Sevillel ^L*>ee*�aberj739, relating to the Loffes fafbuned by Bill ; '****j*i��hjrfbv by DapFCTtettonycoBimTtted by the i?pa-�iwd�, that had not yet bsen laid before the Hotfe. j Practice of Sopping, detaining, and fearching Ships and Veffels navigating the .American. Sea.% is not only or" the moft dangerous and deftruftive Contlquence to tnc liwfu Commerce of our Subjects, but alio c-nds 10 intenupt hiij obftruft the free Inteicourfc: and Correrpjodenc- between our Dominions in Europe, and our Coionitb and P'antations in America, and by Means thereof to deprive us and >ur fubjitts of the Bentfit of thofe Colonies and Plantations; & Confederation of the hi^heft Importanre to us ani our Kingdoms, and a Practice which muftaffeft, in iis Confcqufrces all other Princes and States in Europe pi.ffefnd of Seitlcments in America, or whofe fubjefls carry on any Trade thither : Thefe Reafons are a Tmnfcrfpi of the Arguments which were made ofe of in this Houfe againft the Convention i and a very flight View of that Treaty will demonftr.te hd a Title to the PofTelLonot thefe two Colonies th.n as we h.ve now. Yet I find by the Convention, th�t th. Lirnixs-weie to be fixed by the Plenipotentiaries, and that all furefcer Fortifications on cither Side fhould ceafe, by Command of; the refpecYve Courts. Thife, Sir, are a few of the Reafons I have for believing, that the Convention was a difhonourable and difadvantageous 'Ireaty to G-it&tBriuin, and that it were highly >vcrthy the Care of this Houfe to enquire iqto the Authority by w.iich our Minifter was impawer'd to conclude it-; fince it apjicafs,' from what I have laid, that the fubfequeiit Conducl of ais Majefty and the.Council here has openly diiavow'd it., Therefore, Sir, I take the Liberty to move, That an humble AddieG be prefented to bis Majefty,that, he would be gracioufly pleaLd to give DirecUoos chat tnere be laid before the Houfe Copies ot all the laftruclions and Letters lent to Mr. Keene, by his Majefty's MiaUters, authorizinghim!"to"conclude the Convention b#iwut hii Mi-' jefty and the King cf Spain. Tr.e ?verch cf Sir R T W--9 , s r P, NOwing gives me greater P'eafure than when 1 fee the Members of this AiTcmbiy doing ihcir Duty, aaU I I tnay tru'y affirm, that no Par: of their Duty is more agreea-I ble to me than that of cai-ing for luch Papers as may /et the j Conc'uft cf the Minifiry, and my own in particular, m its proper Light. Were this Motion, therefore, either regular or du::iul, Sir, I fhould, for my own Parr, Hdgifte it in ended to do me Honour ; but as it is i:-conli|l�nt both with tl.e Dignity of the Senate, and the Duty that we owe to his iViaj lty, I cannot but oppofeir, tho' 1 am -willing, if the Houfe fhould differ from me on this Subject, to have my Condud examined with the utmoA Severity. The Hon. Gentleman who ipoke kit, and f. Sir, happen to fee Things in a very diffcient Light. He fays, that the Conven:ion appears now to be a Treaty difhonourable to his MujcCty, and difadvant.'geous to the Empire ; I think, Sir, on the contrary, tiat it was highly honourable and advantageous to both ; .rf Opinion in which I am confirmed by the Scn'e and Approbation of this Houie. The hon. Gent]e-rrun has exhibited n very partial View cf chis Afiair: He has fet all the Obj rftiotis agdinlt the Convention, and the Con-liM of the Mintftry, in the ftiongeft Light, but has palled over every Argument that determined thi� Houfe to approve ir. Were there no Arguments urged, for it in this Hcufe? Or were the Aiguments, Sir, here urged of fo little Moment as not to deferve to ce mentioned ? Then what were the Mo* lives which could prevail with this Senate to g. :iut Trear ty, notwithilanding all the Oppofition made to it, fo full, fj entire an Approbation ? But, Sir, it is not my Intention ac psefent to vinjjcite the Convention, but to fet the Houfe right, as to the Fatls mentioned by the Hoo. Gentleman, and to fhew how entirely confident the Conduct of the Miuiiry has been, both before and after that Treaty was figned. Gentlemen, when they call to mind the Convention, ought likevvil'e 10 conlider the Situation cf Great Britain at that lioic. Prance and Spain had jult run into one another'* Arms ; the German Empsror was defeated and dufbeffed ; the Dutch incapable of giving any powerful Afiftance, and the Forces of Gieat Britain, both by Sea and Laojd, far iefs numerous than the Importance of a War, which hhsperbeps to decide the Fate not only of our Commerce, but of ail Europe, requii'd. On the other Hand, Spain, if the Ex-prefiion be allowable, relied upon her own Weaknefs ; /he knew that it was the Interefl of France not to fufier her to be overpowered; it was apparent that flie malt be overpowered and if flie flood alone and unfuppoited againft Britain, and therefore fhe cbliinately refufed to agree to any deari-tive Treaty. What was the Miniftry to do in ^uch a Conjuncture ? Were they t� declare to all Europetheir Intention of falling upon theSpaniards, and attacking them in trie moft fenfible Parts, before they had a Force fufficuntsto execu.e their Menaces? This, Sir, would have been evidently weak and ridiculous. But, fay Gentlemen, were we to fubmit to the Ir.hdts Mil Injuries of Spain ? Were we to be intimidated by France, and deterred from alTerting our juft and unriaab:-ed Rigiiti ? Noceitainly : Bat 1 chink die jYJiniflry hadtxzea highly to blame, 1 think they woa'd have dei'erved all that has been threaiued to them, aud morr, if they had provoked France, or given Spain a ptaufible Pi atence for calling in her Allies;when we could by a prudent Forbearance, by which, we gave up none of our Rights, nor forfeited any of cur Honour, gain fo much Time as to force our Enemiestodo us that Jultice to wh ch they could not be perfuaded. The next thing to be confider'd, Sir, is Whether the Convention did not iacricce fome part of the Honour*nd Iflter-eft of: the Naiion. The Honour of a People, Sir, m Opi-nkn, c^n fufFer only by a Breach cf Faith, or a rapie Refig-aation of th�>fe Rights to which they, are encith4 either by Tiearies, or the Laws of Nations ; theirlritexeft $s only jn-ji.Tca by fech Mealures as weaken the Hands of their lE^ful Goveruours. But did the Convention, Sir, do either oi ohefc ? No: The People of Gieat Britain had a Right to fail from one I'arc of his Majefly's Dominions to another ; their i-eaate aiieried that Right iapofitive Terms; and their MiniBers wee (o far from-giving this-up, that they broke up the Cen-fe enees about a Definitive Tieaty, becaufe the Acknowledgement of it on the part of Spain was not made a Preli--miuary. TUis, Sir, is.the true State of ihe Facts, which whether the hon. Gentleman who made the Motion has miiVeprefented, let the. Houle judge. ^But, fay Gentlemen, why did you mtheBody of the AJOBveiition infert an Ar-ticit that fu-tjeCledr to the DncufEon of PL nipoienaarief, Rights ttat the Senate had before judged to be clear and undoubted ? This may be-anfwered, eitberby partly admitting, or by atfoluieiy denying the Fact. If we admit that the Rights!cf our Navigation were doc pofitrvery flipulated by the Convention, how can that effeft the Mmiltry, as the> Gonvai.-tion was not a definitive butaPreiimtnary Treaty ?JOrrad)�r, to what end fhould we have inlsftod upon an ufelefs Re-nuuci-iuoii, fince it was itill in our power to pfrefrrve our Right,, and ga�'n Time till wethoufd be in a Condition to vindicate it ? WiU Gcnrlemcn f^y, Sir, thtft our rights -of Naviganon were.given up by the Convention ? I think liiat has,not yet been pretended ; only that they were hazarded. Andj^ow hazarded ? By limiting and mftructii'g our Hie-ni-. potentiarics in fuch a manner that - they could not alienate them. The Oppofition may indeed ask, who knows that their initruclions wwe fuch : If Gcntkrr.ea have r.o Ccnfi-
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